Musical and analytical instrument



Sept. 7, 1965 1.. BALAMUTH 3,204,513

MUSICAL AND ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENT Filed April 20, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 1nnmunllllllllmn'W INPUT s2 [L 65 OUTPUT RELAY INVENTOR. LEWIS BALAMUTH69 BY {9% 6| EYS ATTOR Se t. 7, 1965 BALAMUTH MUSICAL AND ANALYTICALINSTRUMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 20 1962 INVENTOR. LEVHS BALAMUTHATTOR P 1965 L- BALAMUTH 3,204,513

MUSICAL AND ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENT Filed April 20, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 5INVENTOR. Ff q.J LEWIS BALAMUTH ATTOR EYS United States Patent 3,204,513MUSICAL AND ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENT Lewis Balamuth, 29 Washington SquareW., New York, N.Y. Filed Apr. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 188,997 9 Claims. (Cl.84-464) This invention relates to the analysis of objects which arecapable of emitting a regular tone, including musical notes andsustained vibrations such as a ringing sound, and especially to thediscovery of hidden physical imperfections or changes in the compositionof such objects. It also relates to a color and sound producinginstrument which has colors arranged in octaves, and which is responsiveto the tones of the musical scale. This novel instrument can be playedfrom the keyboard of a piano or an organ, or it can be activated by thesounds emitted by any object capable of producing regular vibrations.

It has already been proposed to make an instrument for the performanceof musical compositions in which sight and sound are both involved and anumber of such instruments have been described in Class 84-464. Suchdevices have failed of general acceptance because of substantialimperfections, the number and magnitude of which makes a particulardiscussion impractical. One substantial failure, of the prior art, wasto find in the field of light and color anything comparable to the tonalsystem of the musical system, the octave. Thus, where the piano has agraduated tonal system based upon octaves, each note having a relationof two to one to the same note in the next octave, no such relationshiphas been found for the system of lights. In one prior art device therewere pairs of buttons controlling white, red, yellow, blue and violetlights but any opproximation of the graduated tonal system of the pianowas not conceived.

It is an object of this invention to provide an instrument having agraduated tonal system comparable in color and light to the notes of themusical scale. By the construction of such a tonal scale in color, Ihave been enabled to construct a combined musical and light instrumentin which the graded tones of sound are accompanied by graded tones oflights.

It is an object of the invention to produce an instantaneous, visual,comparative analysis of the composition, and to instantaneouslydetermine the perfection of objects such as porcelain, bells, and carwheels.

Another object is to transform tones to lights, selected sounds beingreproduced in lights of definite color, hue, or depth, and todistinguish musical notes by color. The objects include piano tuning,the reproduction in color of sounds beyond the range of the human ear,and the construction of high fidelity instruments.

Another object is to make a musical instrument which responds to theperformance of the artist in sound and light. Other and numerous objectswill be explained as the description proceeds. As the construction ofthe musical instrument and its function are a proper introduction to thescientific uses of the analytical instrument, they will be describedfirst.

According to my invention the visible bands of light which appear asviolet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red constitute a grandoctave and each of these colors is similarly divided into seven gradedparts which constitute particular octaves. One method of constructingthese octaves in graded series has been described in which rice paper isdyed with the chosen color, for instance red, and the successivegradations are made by laminating squares of the rice paper, onethickness for the lightest tone of the octave, two thicknesses for thegression.

second, three for the third tone, etc. When the seven grades areassembled before lights of the same intensity each light appears as ofthe same color but of different depth. I have now improved upon thatinvention by utilizing not only difference in depth as thedistinguishing character of the tones of the visual octave but byincluding also the differences in hue. For example, there are many knowncolors-of red, for instance crimson, scarlet, cerise, and Vermilion, andfrom these I selected seven colors differing in tone from light to darkin graded steps. This is readily accomplished by selecting a gradedseries from the color tables of dyers and color makers. Reference may bemade to the spectra of particular colors for the selection of a welltempered scale.

In making the novel octaves certain systems are particularly useful. Inthe first, seven sheets of rice paper are dyed with the seven differentcolors constituting the octave. The lowest note of the octave will becomposed of seven laminated sheets of the deepest color, for in stancethe deepest red, the second note will be composed of six sheets of thered color of next lighter hue, the third note will be composed of fivesheets of the red color next lighter in hue, etc. In the second system,the principle of lamination is used but a lesser variation of one toneis used, and the successive steps are made up by laminating dilferentquantities of dark red sheets and light redsheets, for instance sevendark red sheets for the lowest tone and seven light red sheets for thehighest tone, the intermediate tones being composed of diiferent numbersof dark and light red sheets depending upon the hue and depth which areto be obtained. A variation of the second method is to use a singlesheet of light hue for the highest tone of the octave and a single sheetof dark hue for the lowest tone in the octave but with the ditferencethat the lowest tone will be more heavily dyed than the upper so that adifference in gradation is obtained by depth of dying as well as bychoice of hue.

There are two basic responses to music, the responses to the. chord andto the tune. It has been an object of my invention to achieve a displayin colored lights which will evoke by sight responses similar to theresponses by sound, and to this end I may arrange a grand octave in areaas in FIG. 5, which produces pattern, and a grand octave in line, as inFIG. 1, which reproduces pro- Pattern and progression appear in FIG. 5but pattern predominates. Progression and pattern appear in FIG. 1 butprogression predominates. By combining the two, for instance by mountingthe square of FIG. 5 above the line of FIG. 1 and electricallyconnecting identical colors to the same piano key, a series offlickering, flashing patterns are produced and the bril liance of runs,arpeggios, and sequences in the music are conveyed in varying colors andvarying combinations of colors. 7

Two methods of constructing the panels are shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. InFIG. 1 is shown a linear panel in which the violet octave and the indigooctave are set out in full with the beginning of the blue octave. Whenthis panel is connected to the keyboard of a piano in any of the ways tobe hereinafter described, the pressing of a key of the piano willproduce a light in the corresponding tone of the color octave. Thedevice being mounted in view of the audience, the flow of the music, theoccurrence of the chordsand the skill of the pianist are displayed inthe flashing lights. In FIG. 5 the panel is arranged so that the octavesare mounted one above the other from violet to red but with alternatelyreverse direction, V to V progressing to the right, R to R progressingto the left, as shown, or in spiral form, proceeding counter clockwisefor instance. This preserves the continuity of the progression of runsand arpeggios which is apt to become confused if the eye must travel, tofollow a run, from the right to the left of the board. Many otherarr-angements of the panel are conceivable.

The panel has been described as composed of octaves but in preferredform it will have the twelve tone scale of the standard piano includingthe half tones.

I have also found that the panel can easily be constructed by punchingholes through a piece of cardboard and pasting the color sheets over theopenings. Additional interest is added to such panels by imprinting thecolor sheets with, or stamping the panel with holes in the shape ofdesigns. In one successful panel I used chinese pictographs.

The manner of constructing such an instrument is set forthdiagrammatically in the following drawings, wherein like numbers referto like parts:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of part of a linear panel beginning withthe lowest complete octave;

FIG. 2 is a sketch of the connection between one key of the keyboard ofthe musical instrument, such as a piano, and the light in the panel;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a further improvement in the invention involvingthe use of foot pedals to play banks of lights;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of one form of the inven tion;

FIG. 5 is an arrangement of the octaves of colored lights different fromthat of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a band pass filter of acceptableconstruction;

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of a type utilizing the filters of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a modified band pass filter;

FIG. 9 and 10 are diagrams of one element of a sonic filter system.

Referring to FIG. 2, 10 is the string of a piano, 11 is the hammer, 12is the key and 13 is the pivot upon which the key is balanced. Noattempt is .made to show the actual complexity of the mechanism. Beneatha movable part of the piano key is located a microswitch 14 which isoperated when the key '12 is depressed, closing a circuit from a sourceof current 15 through lines '16, 17 to a light 18 mounted before areflector 19 in a box 26 the face V of which is composed of translucentcolored glass of deepest violet. The piano key next above 12 isconnected to V etc. The microswitch operates without effort and returnsto off position as soon as the key is released.

In the modification illustrated in FIG. 3 a series of foot pedals 36 areconnected to switches 31 which are in turn connected to a 110 volt A.C.source of current 32 and by lines 33 to a series of lights 38 in the box20, which are in addition to the lights 18. A general mood or tone canbe established in the instrument by depressing one of the foot pedals,each of which is connected to a different combination of lights. Thus,massiveness of effect can be achieved much as one achieves it by pullingthe stops on an organ and parts of the composition can be played with abackground of color which establishes a mood for the passage. One of thefoot pedals 30 may be connected to all the lights 38 which remainilluminated throughout the playing of the composition. This achieves adouble end in that the eye fatigue produced by the onand-off flashing ofthe lights is greatly reduced as the differences are not betweendarkness and light but between intensity of light. For example, with theentire panel illuminated by the lights 38 the playing of the piece takesplace upon the lights 18 which turn on and off but appear as increasesand decreases in brilliance.

In FIG. 4 is shown the operating mechanism of a modification whichconstitutes in effect the perfected form of the invention. Thedifiiculty with the apparatus which has been described hereinabove isthat it is applicable only to an instrument having a keyboard. It is aunit and is only useful as such. Furthermore, while it has substantialuse in the field of entertainment as in theaters and the like, and inthe home, it is not readily adapted to scientific use.

7 In FIG. 4 there is an extension of this invention which enables one tocarry out comparative determinations of composition in objects which arecapable of giving forth a sound of their own, particularly when thatsound is capable of persisting and has regular vibrations. For example,the apparatus of FIG. 4 can be used where flaws exist in porcelain, ironbars and steel sheets, various metals, glassware and in innumerable usesof a similar kind. This form of the invention may also be employed todetermine the existence of imperfections in such objects, for instancethe existence of a hidden imperfection in a ceramic bowl.

According to this form of the invention a panel will be provided asdescribed above in which the boxes 20 of the panel contain lights 18which can be activated from a source of current 15 through lines 16,'17. In line 1-7' is a relay switch which is activated through a coil 40by lines 41, 42 which come from an amplifier 43 which is connected byline 44 to a band pass filter 45 which is connected through lines 46 toa microphone 47.

The band pass filter may be a piezoelectric crystal or any other knownform of band pass filter which will reject all tones except those whichit is adapted to pass. These band pass filters are selected so that thefirst will accept the central 10% of those vibrations which constitutethe tones and overtones of the first note of the octave of the piano.The second band pass filter will pass the central 10% of thosevibrations which constitute the tones and overtones of the second noteof the octave. This construction can be continued until a satisfactoryinstrument has been made. Such an instrument may be receptive to many orto few tones and it may extend through a part of the scale or may extendbeyond the tones which are audible to man. For example, if one wishes tocast bells a mold is provided, a composition is established and the bellis cast. Some bells are provided with five main tones. The instrumentwould be constructed to cover the five main tones of a perfect bell plustones higher and lower so that the entire tonal area of the bell iscovered. The band pass filters would pass only the center 10% of thefive main tones and the corresponding lights would be illuminated. Inaddition other filters would pass secondary tones or vibrations andilluminate additional lights. At the conclusion there would be set up alight pattern for that bell represented by possibly eight or ninelights. When other bells are cast from the same mold they are soundedbefore the instrument and the pattern of lights which appears iscompared with the pattern established for the perfoot bell. If the bellis also perfect, the same pattern appears but if the second bell has afault, for instance a concealed fissue capable of muting one of the maintones the light corresponding to that tone will not appear. A similarsystem can be set up to test porcelainware and any other object havingthe capability to emit regular vibrations in or out of the audiblerange. The number of lights will be adapted to the need of the occasion,some test apparatus requiring many for the analysis of many tones andothers few when the vibrations involved are not complex.

In FIG. 6 is illustrated an acceptable type of electromechanical filterin which a tunning fork 60 of low Q is fixed to a base, not shown, by ascrew 61. We may assume that the fork is tuned to a resonance equal tothe central 10% of the vibrations constituting middle A of the musicalscale. An input delivers through wires 62 to coil 63 a currentcontaining many frequencies of which middle A is one. A soft iron core64 is Within the coil and in proximity to the left tine of the fork,which is set in vibration and vibrates the right tine, which emits onlyits own tonal frequency and activates the core and coil 65-66 at thepure and limited frequency of the fork, which is transmitted to theoutput and to the light operated thereby.

FIG. 7 discloses an operative apparatus for reproducing in a lightpattern the sounds picked by by a microphone 70 and delivered to anamplifier 71 from which the current is distributed to a series of coils72 corresponding to coils 63 of FIG. 6 which are associated with tuningforks 73 all of which are tuned to different frequencies. The coils 74correspond to coils 65 and activate relays 75 which turn on lights 76 astheir respective tuning forks respond to the frequencies which occur inthe sounds being analyzed.

Thedevice of FIGS. 6 and 7 is satisfactory, easy to construct, and canbe made with material of high Q in the tuning forks or with low Q, thelatter of which is preferred for many uses. In the preferred embodimentthe tuning fork is replaced by a resonant reed (FIG. 8) which can bendand flex and will yield a low speed of wave motion, much less than thespeed of sound in air, providing a specific impedance matching air waveswith efiiciency.

In the musical-optical instrument the object is to turn the lights onthe screen on and off synchronously with the various sounds beingreceived. Each switch element is to operate when the microphone receivesa sound hav- 7 ing a mid-band frequency corresponding to a note of the88-note piano scale. A good type will employ the fundamental resonantbending vibration frequency of a reed fixed at one end and free at theother. The reed will be of a magnetostrictive material such as nickel,Monel, or steel. The reed 80 is mounted in a base 81 and it will have aradius of gyration t being the thickness of the reed. If nickel is usedthe frequency 1.42000 (4.694) Z'lr X tX l I being the length of the reedin cm. The application of this formula, the reed being nickel and 1being .025

cm. produces the following table, Fni being in cycles per second Forlower frequencies the length of the reeds can be shortened by usingappropriate thickness. For example, one half the length of the tablewith a width of .005 instead of the .010 on which the table wascomputed, produces lengths of 10.36, 7.34 and 5.18 for the first threeoctaves respectively.

The reeds will respond to all frequencies of sound but they will vibrateselectively with a bending vibration at the frequencies F and also atthe overtones of their own fiexual vibrations.

For use as a color instrument in combination with a piano or a violin orother instruments the panel will be constructed to cover all the tonesof all the instruments, or at least the major portions of the scales. Asingle microphone may be connected to all the band pass filters or anindividual microphone may be attached to each band pass filter, orparticular microphones may subtend groups of filters. The instrumentbeing placed within range of the piano or the orchestra and plugged intothe nearest convenient source of power, the microphones will pick up thetones and the band pass filters will activate the lights.

A preferred form of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 9 by a singleunit, of which there would be another for each sonic frequency that isto appear in light. In this figure a base supports a U-shapedmagnetostrictive laminate 91 upon two point supports 92, which may bespots of solder or adhesive. The magnetostrictive laminate, whichconstitutes a tuning fork, may be made of nickel, tuned to thefrequency, e.g. 440 vibrations/second, that is to be reproduced, bycareful reduction of its enlarged ends 91' (FIG. 10). Mounted on thebase 90 without touching the tuning fork is a post 93 of insulatingmaterial, such as porcelain or plastic, which supports a permanentmagnet 94, the ends of which are coated with a thin film of insulation,e.g. foam plastic, and are spaced from the ends of the tuning fork bysmall gaps of, for instance, about .001 inch. A coil 95 encircles thebase of one of the tines of the fork and is connected to a condenser 96,forming an electronic band pass filter at a frequency which is thefundamental frequency of the tuning fork. The output of the condensergoes by line 97 to a preamplifier or to a relay coil which, whenactivated, will turn on the appropriate light in accordance withprinciples already set forth.v In this form of the invention microphonesare needless as amultiplicity of tuning forks, each tuned to its ownfrequency, and connected to its own light through its own coil andcondenser, respond directly to sonic frequencies corresponding to theirown specific frequencies, and turn on and off each its own light.

My discovery of the grand octave is an important part of the invention.The ratio of the end point frequencies of the visible light spectrum isapproximately 2: 1. Grand octave therefore corresponds to the octave ofsound although it would appear that there are many octaves of sound.This 'is to some extent a semblance because the octaves of the keyboarddiffer only in the pitch of the respective notes.

Another advantage is that color compositions can be played directly fromsheet music and color compositions can be recorded and printed just assheet music is recorded and printed for musical instruments. The colorpiano can be played alone, without sound, by furnishing it with akeyboard of its own. The provision of foot pedals to activatemultielement patterns makes it possible to furnish a tonal backgroundfor the dancing lights and to establish an overall color mood not whollyremote from the chord and harmony pattern of music.

The filters used in the perfected form of the invention can convenientlybe of magnetostrictive type or piezoelectric elements. The amplifiersare preferably transistorized for spontaneous olf-on response.

The instrument can be used for tuning pianos to exact concert pitchwhich heretofore has been strictly an art. Having established aninstrument of this sort with band pass filters exactly established atthe mid band of each note the tuning becomes precise. The limitation ofthe filter to the acceptance of the central 10% of the several bands ofeach note eliminates excitation by adjacent notes.

This apparatus is an analytical tool which displays in a color patternan acoustical spectrum of a source of sound and it can be used inquality control of any solid object which can be made to ring by beingstruck or stroked. The switches activated with or by the sounds may beconnected, not to lights alone, but to lights and alarms or recorders,or to alarms and recorders or other signalling or responsive apparatusalone.

The device can be used to compare and demonstrate the patterns producedby speakers and singers.

In places of public entertainment and the lobbies of large buildingslarge screens may be established with or without background music toproduce varying color patterns. The entire backdrop of a theater can becomposed of a panel of lights changing with the music and furnishing abackground for dancing performers.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of the present inventionmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited to the specificembodiments.

What is claimed is:

1. An instrument responsive in colored lights to musical tones ofdifferent pitch including a bank of differently colored lights arrangedin octaves of violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red ofdifferent depth, each color of one octave differing from the same colorin the adjacent octaves by a regular increment which progresses in depthfrom one end of the scale to the other, and electric circuit means toilluminate each of the colored lights including a band pass filteroperably connected to a switch for each light and to a microphone.

2. An instrument according to claim 1 in which the band pass filterspass to the respective circuits sound wave lengths each of whichincludes about of the intervals comprising the notes of the musicalscale and thereby activate corresponding lights in the visual octave.

3. A musical color instrument having color producing instrumentalitiesincluding a series of differently colored lights individually connectedto and operable by oif-on switches, and means for operating each switchselectively including a relay operatively associated with each switch,electromagnetic means connected to each relay, including a coil and atuned vibrational body tuned to the resonance of the central portion ofa note of the musical scale, each tuned vibrational body being ofdifferent pitch, means to activate each tuning fork including a coil, anamplifier connected thereto, and a microphone connected to theamplifier, said vibrational bodies being free from the coil and theelectromagnetic means.

4. In a selective sound-radiation pattern transformer, electrical meansto receive mixed sounds and transform them to mixed electric currentfrequencies, input electromagnetic means which is operably connected tosaid electrical means and energized by the mixed frequencies, outputelectromagnetic mean-s adjacent the input electromagnetic meansincluding a current generating coil operably connected to signallingmeans, and a tuned vibrational body between and free from the input andoutput electromagnetic means and which is magnetically associ ated withboth of them.

5, A transformer according to claim 4 in which the tuned body is atuning fork having its tines aligned with said input and outputelectromagnetic means and a tine closely associated with each of them.

6. A transformer according to claim 4 in which the tuned body is a tunedreed.

7. A transformer according to claim 4 including a multiplicity of three,vibrational bodies tuned to different frequencies, input and outputelectromagnetic means associated with each of them, and mean connectingall said electromagnetic means to the receiving and signalling meansrespectively.

8. In a system of representing selected, limited frequencies by light,an electrically operable light, switch means operably connected thereto,output electromagnetic means connected to the switch means, amicrophone, an amplifier connected thereto, input electromagnetic meansconnected to the amplifier, and a tuned, magnetically responsive body,free of but in operative range of both the electromagnetic mean-s,serving as a band pass filter which is put in vibration when a selectedfrequency band is emitted by the input electromagnetic means and, by itsvibration, energizes the output electromagnetic means to.

operate the light.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 in which the signalling means includes amultiplicity of lights which are operably connected to a multiplicity ofcurrent generating coils which are responsive to differently tunedvibrational bodies.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 186,298 1/77Bishop 84-464 667,541 2/01 Loring 84-464 1,323,943 12/ 19 Wilcox.1,432,553 10/ 22 Hector 84-464 1,573,797 2/26 Beal et al. 181-321,654,068 12/27 Blattner 84-464 1,831,783 11/31 Ward 73-69 1,946,026 2/34 Lewis et al 84-464 1,977,997 10/34 Patterson 84-464 2,152,177 3/39Eisenbeis et a1. 84-454 2,152,955 4/39 Coyne 84-464 X 2,153,800 4/39Holmes 84-454 2,257,285 9/41 Sundt 84-454 2,393,225 1/46 Andalikiewicz73-69 2,571,409 10/51 Beyers et al. 73-69 2,779,920 1/57 Petroif 84-464X OTHER REFERENCES Publication, Colour Music, Sea, Land and Air, pages417422.

LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner. C. W. ROBINSON, LEYLAND MARTIN, Examiners.

3. A MUSICAL COLOR INSTRUMENT HAVING COLOR PRODUCING INSTRUMENTALITIESINCLUDING A SERIES OF DIFFERENTLY COLORED LIGHTS INDIVIDUALLY CONNECTEDTO AND OPERABLE BY OFF-ON SWITCHES, AND MEANS FOR OPERATING EACH SWITCHSELECTIVELY INCLUDING A RELAY OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH EACH SWITCH,ELECTROMAGNETIC MEANS CONNECTED TO EACH RELAY, INCLUDING A COIL AND ATUNED VIBRATIONAL BODY TUNED TO THE RESONANCE OF THE CENTRAL PORTION OFA NOTE NOF THE MUSICAL SCALE, EACH TUNED VIBRATIONAL BODY BEING OFDIFFERNT PITCH, MEANS TO ACTIVATE EACH TUNING FORK INCLUDING A COIL, ANAMPLIFIER CONNECTED THERETO, AND A MICROPHONE CONNECTED TO THEAMPLIFIER, SAID VIBRATIONAL BODIES BEING FREE FROM THE COIL AND THEELECTROMAGNETIC MEANS.